"M-me?" Xiao Wu hesitated.
She was a hundred-thousand-year soul beast who had taken human form, so she could condense her own soul rings.
She had no need to hunt soul beasts at all.
But Su Mo had invited her.
If she did not go, how would she explain her soul ring afterward?
But if she went with Su Mo, she would have to avoid him and absorb her soul ring alone.
Su Mo looked at Xiao Wu's conflicted little expression. She could not have been more adorable.
He could even imagine her inner monologue at that moment.
Su Mo had only mentioned it in passing. He had not expected Xiao Wu to go with him.
Besides, hunting soul beasts was dangerous to begin with. He was not even sure he could protect himself.
If Xiao Wu went with him, that would add another layer of danger.
Besides, Su Mo did not actually have very high requirements for his soul ring.
His Gashapon Machine was, to put it bluntly, a martial soul for drawing cards.
He had no idea what kind of soul ring he should have the Gashapon Machine absorb.
Something related to luck?
That seemed to be the only thing that would fit, right?
But did soul rings like that even exist?
Forgive Su Mo's ignorance, but he really had never heard of one.
So he figured he could just absorb any hundred-year soul ring.
His Gashapon Machine had no offensive power in itself.
He could only wait until his level was higher to have the Eye of Thunder absorb soul rings.
For now, he would lie low whenever he could.
Besides, he had no idea what the Gashapon Machine might dispense.
Perhaps some powerful cultivation technique or soul ring would turn up later?
"Su Mo, I've decided to go with you!"
Just as Su Mo was about to say he had been joking,
Xiao Wu planted her hands on her hips and stared at him seriously.
Su Mo froze for a moment, staring straight into Xiao Wu's bright, wide eyes.
"Are you serious?"
Xiao Wu brought her little face right up to Su Mo's, leaving only a few centimeters between them.
Su Mo could even clearly smell her breath.
His nose tickled.
Xiao Wu watched Su Mo with smiling eyes.
"Well? Aren't you touched?"
"You're so weak. Without Sister Xiao Wu protecting you, you'd definitely be torn to shreds by soul beasts."
"So Sister Xiao Wu has decided to help you hunt for a soul ring."
Although she did not want to hurt soul beasts, she did not want anything to happen to Su Mo either.
In the end, she overcame her inner conflict.
With Xiao Wu's pretty face so close to his, Su Mo instinctively reached out and pinched her plump cheeks.
They were soft and felt wonderful.
"You rotten Su Mo, what are you doing? Get your filthy hands off me."
Su Mo was pinching Xiao Wu's cheeks, but she did not reach up to push his hands away.
"Ahem. They feel pretty nice." Su Mo let go and coughed awkwardly.
He instinctively sniffed his fingertips.
Hmm, no scent.
"Ew, you're such a pervert. Su Mo, stay away from your Sister Xiao Wu from now on." Xiao Wu backed away a few steps, looking disgusted.
A closer look would have revealed that her ears were already bright red.
She was merely putting on a calm front.
She pressed a hand to her chest. Her heart was racing.
Su Mo teased, "Fine, then don't sleep in my bed tonight!"
"No!" Xiao Wu shouted.
Su Mo laughed. "Didn't you tell me to stay away from you?"
Xiao Wu planted her hands on her hips, utterly self-righteous. "Sleeping doesn't count!"
"All right, all right. Sleeping doesn't count." Su Mo rubbed her head. It felt very nice.
"Since you said you'd come hunt soul beasts with me, let's go ask for leave now. We'll set out tomorrow."
Elsewhere.
In the Soul Hunting Forest, three hundred li outside Nuoding City.
Yu Xiaogang patted a stalk of bamboo about ten meters tall as he spoke to Tang San.
"Little San, this is ten-year solitary bamboo. Its defining trait is toughness."
"Although it isn't very aggressive, it makes up for that with decent defense."
"It would suit your Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul quite well."
Tang San listened attentively. Looking at the ten-year solitary bamboo, he asked, "Then, Teacher, should I hunt this ten-year solitary bamboo?"
The lone bamboo did not look particularly remarkable. It only drew attention because it was surrounded by towering trees rather than a bamboo grove.
Its body swayed gently, its branches moving with the breeze.
Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang smiled. "Not yet. If we can't find a more suitable choice, we'll have to settle for it in the end."
"We must be careful when choosing a soul ring."
"According to my theory of the ten core principles of martial souls, the limit for a first soul ring is four hundred and twenty-three years."
"So I hope your first soul ring will come as close to that limit as possible."
"Let's see whether there are any other martial souls suitable for you."
Tang San nodded, listening to Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang's theories with the utmost attention.
Hearing an age calculated down to the exact year, Tang San admired Yu Xiaogang even more.
He really had chosen the right teacher.
Once he absorbed his first soul ring and became a soul master, he would definitely teach that Su Mo a proper lesson.
He had better not think a worthless martial soul would let him lord it over Tang San.
They continued forward.
"Luo, luo..." Suddenly, Luo Sanpao barked warily toward something ahead.
Yu Xiaogang immediately grew alert.
"Little San, be careful."
Tang San silently took out his hidden weapons and guarded against threats from every direction.
Tang San suddenly pointed ahead. "Teacher, over there!"
Yu Xiaogang saw a dark green snake's head flickering in and out of sight among the grass.
"It's a Mandala Snake!" Yu Xiaogang's gaze darkened. "Why would a Mandala Snake appear on the outskirts of the Soul Hunting Forest?"
"Little San, be careful. Mandala Snakes are extremely venomous."
Tang San nodded, staring ahead with a solemn expression.
"Luo Sanpao." Yu Xiaogang pulled Tang San behind him. "Fart like thunder, Earth-Shattering Luo Sanpao!"
Luo Sanpao aimed toward the snake's head and let loose a super thunderous fart.
It blasted the Mandala Snake straight into the air.
When Yu Xiaogang saw the Mandala Snake's size, his eyes lit up.
"It's actually a Mandala Snake that has just reached a hundred years! Little San, you're in luck. This is simply..."
Before Yu Xiaogang could finish, the Mandala Snake locked onto him.
His smile froze.
He hurriedly shouted, "Luo Sanpao!"
Luo Sanpao: ...This family would fall apart without me.
Luo Sanpao unleashed another earth-shattering fart, blasting it toward the Mandala Snake.
Apparently having learned from its earlier setback, the Mandala Snake darted aside, leaped into the air, and lunged at Yu Xiaogang with its jaws open.
Yu Xiaogang hurriedly dragged Tang San backward.
But he accidentally tripped over a vine.
He fell flat on the ground.
By then, the Mandala Snake was already above him.
Tang San looked at his teacher helplessly.
He was dragging him down at the critical moment.
Left with no choice, he brought out his hidden weapons and shot them at the Mandala Snake's head.
Lying on the ground, Yu Xiaogang stared in terror at the Mandala Snake lunging toward him and shouted to Luo Sanpao again, "Luo Sanpao, stop it!"
Luo Sanpao: Me?
Although he really did not want to, he still charged at the Mandala Snake without hesitation.
A series of agonized cries followed.
Luo Sanpao instantly turned into a streak of light and returned to Yu Xiaogang's body.
Yu Xiaogang's expression turned ugly.
Tang San's expression did not change as he hurled every white radish in Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges at the Mandala Snake as hidden weapons.
He was thoroughly frustrated. Damn it, why the hell had his teacher brought so many white radishes on a trip?
Because of them, he had barely brought any hidden weapons.
If those had all been hidden weapons, he could definitely have killed this Mandala Snake.
Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang had already found a tree and hidden behind it.
He cheered Tang San on. "Little San, you can do it! A snake's weak point is seven inches behind its head. Strike it there!"
Without Luo Sanpao, he was little different from a useless waste.
No, even with Luo Sanpao, he was still a useless waste.
Before you continue